Husayn ibn Ali

Husayn ibn Ali (8 January 626-10 October 680) was the first Imam of Shia Islam from 670 to 680, succeeding Hasan ibn Ali and preceding Ali ibn Husayn.

Biography
Husayn ibn Ali was the son of Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib, who was assassinated by al-Muawiyah I, who replaced his Rashidun Caliphate ("rightly-guided caliphs") with his Umayyad Caliphate. Husayn saw the accession of the Umayyads to power as unjust, and he succeeded Hasan ibn Ali as the first Imam of Shia Islam, leading the faction of Muslims who supported ascent from Ali instead of the new Umayyad caliphate (the Sunnis). Husayn disagreed with the rule of the Umayyads and joined the people of Kufa in rebellion against the Umayyads. In the Battle of Karbala in 680, Husayn was beheaded in battle in a massacre of the Banu Hashim loyalists. Ali ibn Husayn became the new imam.